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There’s been a heap of buzz about the recently released Mondraker Zendit. And rightly so, it’s a mind-boggling ride. It had us thinking, though, what about the Summum?
There were prototypes spotted for nearly 3 years, and the final production version was launched in February this year. We don’t convert too many DH bikes here at Flow, but we admire them just as much as anyone else, and we thought it was time to give the Summum the spotlight.
A quick Mondraker history rewind
Mondraker is certainly no stranger to gravity rigs. In fact, the first bike they ever produced, back in 2001, was the Mondraker Petrol, which was as burly as bikes could get.
It sported 26in wheels, and the four-bar Horst-link suspension design delivered 215mm of rear wheel travel. Its wheelbase was short, but it had a rather tall stature overall; that’s just how things were 25 years ago.
Geometry numbers sat around 67° for the head tube, which even XC bikes like the Specialised Epic 9 are slacker than that these days.
Since then, Mondraker has released various iterations of its gravity-oriented platform:
- 2006 Mondraker Kaiser | Slacker 65° HT Angle, Semi-monocoque aluminium frame
- 2009 Mondraker Summum Prototype | Initial prototype of its ‘Zero’ suspension platform and ‘Forward Geometry’ concept, with increased front centre lengths and short stems
- 2016 Mondraker Summum | Shift to 27.5in wheels and a carbon fibre frame
- 2021 Mondraker Summum | Dedicated 29in or Mixed wheel compatible, aluminium only, 63 HT Angle
- 2022 Mondraker Summum | Similar to 2021 Summum, carbon frame
- 2023/24 Mondraker Summum Prototype | Adjustable reach, HT Angle, rear centre, bottom bracket and shock progression.
They’ve had plenty of success on the race circuit over the years aboard some of the above bikes, including Tomás Misser winning the Spanish Downhill Cup in 2003 aboard the Mondraker Petrol, Fabien Barel winning the Maribor World Cup in 2009 aboard the 2009 Summum Prototype, and the full podium sweep at the 2016 World Champs in Val di Sole by Mondraker riders Danny Hart, Laurie Greenland and Florent Payet.
And all of that brings us to 2026, where the brand launched the latest iteration of the Summum.
Mondraker Summum Overview
As we’ve seen over the years, the latest iteration of the Summum was developed on the World Cup circuit under the Mondraker Factory team, including Ronan Dunne and Dak Norton. The current iteration was first spotted in 2023 under Brook Macdonald and formed the basis of the bike we as consumers can buy today, with the team testing various frame configurations to dial in lateral compliance and vertical stiffness.
It’s hard to keep track of exactly how many prototypes the updated Summum went through on the race circuit, but various iterations were spotted over the years with varying forms of adjustability.
Now that it’s here, like the 2021 Summum, the latest iteration is only available with the brand’s 6061 hydroformed aluminium tubing. The bottom bracket yoke features an interesting ‘gravy boat’ design, which the MFR team were using to bolt additional weights into. While the provision for weights seems to have disappeared, the overall design has stuck, and we think it looks pretty sweet.
It’s now a dedicated mullet setup, with no provision for a 29in wagon wheel out back, and it sports a beefy 200mm of rear wheel travel controlled by the brand’s Zero suspension four-bar platform.
Frame Details
A rather unique feature of the Summum is the consistent bearing sizes used throughout the pivots, rather than the mixed bag we often see. Keep a few 3802 bearings on hand, and you’ll always have the right one. Interestingly, these are also shared with the newly released and highly popular Mondraker Zendit, which will only make it easier for shops and mechanics to carry a single bearing size to cover multiple bikes.
To keep the bearings spinning smoothly, each pivot has an additional seal on either side to keep mud out and grease in.
Other frame details include guided internal routing and custom-moulded rubber frame protection in high-wear areas.
With the rear end sporting a UDH Hanger, it’s compatible with SRAM’s latest XX DH T-Type drivetrain, for those with deep enough wallets to afford it.
And in huge news, there is a water bottle mount on the downtube! While we can’t imagine seeing a 1L bottle on the downtube at the World Cup, this is a great addition for folks lapping the bike park.
Mondraker Summum Sizing & Geometry
Mondraker were arguably the brand that started the ‘longer/lower/slacker’ movement over a decade ago, with longer front centre lengths and short stems. Its bikes have often been some of the most adjustable on the market, and the updated Summum follows suit.
Up front, the Summum features a three-position headset cup that adjusts reach by ±5 mm from the middle ‘neutral’ setting.
At the shock, there’s a three-position flip chip that alters the bottom bracket height by ±5mm and the HT angle by ±0.35°.
And out back, there are three dropout modules that can be installed, changing the rear centre length by ±5 mm.
As for frame sizes, there are three options to choose from: Medium, Large, or Extra Large, which sport reach lengths of 450mm, 480mm, and 510mm, respectively.
Mondraker Summum Pricing & Availability
There will be two complete bikes available in Australia, with prices starting at $8,999 AUD for the R trim and jumping to $12,499 AUD for the RR model.
Or for folks with a whole suite of parts, there will be a frameset available for $4,999 AUD, which includes all the geometry adjustment chips/cups and a Fox DHX2 coil rear shock.
Mondraker Summum RR
- Frame | Summum MX 6061 Alloy, Zero Suspension System, Forward Geometry, 200mm Travel
- Fork | RockShox Boxxer Ultimate, Charger 3.2 Damper, 200mm Travel, 52mm Offset
- Shock | RockShox Vivid Coil Ultimate, 225x75mm
- Wheels | DT Swiss EX1700, 29″ Front 28H, 27.5″ Rear 32H, DT Swiss 350 Hubs
- Tyres | Front: Maxxis Assegai 29×2.5, MaxxGrip, DH casing. Rear: Maxxis DHR II 27.5×2.5, MaxxTerra, DH casing
- Drivetrain | SRAM XX DH T-Type 7-speed, 10-24t XS797 Cassette
- Brakes | SRAM Maven Ultimate, SRAM HS2 Rotors
- Handlebar | Onoff S6 1.9 Allot, 25mm Ride, 800mm Wide
- Stem | Onoff S9 DH Allot, 45-50mm adjustable length
- Claimed Weight | 18.9kg
- Price | $12,499 AUD
Mondraker Summum R
- Frame | Summum MX 6061 Alloy, Zero Suspension System, Forward Geometry, 200mm Travel
- Fork | Fox 40 Performance, 200mm Travel, 52mm Offset
- Shock | Fox DHX2 Performance Elite, 225x75mm
- Wheels | e*thirteen Grappler Flux, 29″ Front, 27.5″ Rear, 28H, e*thirteen Sidekick Hubs w/ 12deg/15deg/18deg adjustable deadband
- Tyres | Front: Maxxis Assegai 29×2.5, MaxxGrip, DH casing. Rear: Maxxis DHR II 27.5×2.5, MaxxTerra, DH casing
- Drivetrain | SRAM GX DH 7-speed, 11-25t PG720 Cassette
- Brakes | SRAM Maven Base w/ SRAM Centreline Rotors
- Handlebar | Onoff S6 1.9 Allot, 25mm Ride, 800mm Wide
- Stem | Onoff S9 DH Allot, 45-50mm adjustable length
- Claimed Weight | 18.9kg
- Price | $8,999 AUD
So, what’s next for the Summum?
If there is a carbon variant in the pipeline, there’s a chance we might see it on the World Cup circuit this year — time will tell.
The post 2026 Mondraker Summum First Look | 25 years of gravity refinement appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.
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[[{“value”:”There’s been a heap of buzz about the recently released Mondraker Zendit. And rightly so, it’s a mind-boggling ride. It had us thinking, though, what about the Summum? There were prototypes spotted for nearly 3 years, and the final production version was launched in February this year. We don’t convert too many DH bikes here
The post 2026 Mondraker Summum First Look | 25 years of gravity refinement appeared first on Flow Mountain Bike.”}]] Read More Flow Mountain Bike
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